Flexible objects or shapes are often utilized by amusement parks to create colorful characters or displays to entertain and interact with the patrons of the park. For example, a three-dimensional, life-sized sculpture based on a cartoon character, such as a cartoon dog or alien, may be constructed of a flexible material, such as an elastomer. Elastomers are polymer-based substances with the property of elasticity that can be molded into different shapes and objects. Further, because of the flexibility of the elastomers, the molded characters or objects may be animated to interact with the patrons of the amusement park. For example, an appendage of a character sculpture may be moved or animated to create the illusion that the character is waving or otherwise interacting with the patrons. In a similar manner, a display containing several elastomer objects or shapes may be combined to provide an entertaining and interactive show to the patrons.
Several techniques may be utilized to animate the flexible objects or characters of the amusement park. For example, the flexible objects or characters may include a system of actuators and motors embedded within the objects to provide animation of the objects. Another technique may involve embedding a hard magnet with a first polarity within a portion of the flexible object. To animate the object, a second magnet of opposite polarity may be brought near the embedded magnet to attract the embedded magnet and force the elastomer object to flex to bring the magnets together. However, over time, the force of the attraction between the magnets may cause the elastomer around the magnet to weaken, possibly resulting in the embedded hard magnet to rip or tear through the elastomer material.